75 years later, Rangers again scale the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landing, members of the 75th Ranger Regiment have recreated the actions of their forefathers by scaling the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc, overlooking the English Channel on the northwestern coast of Normandy, France. On June 6th 1944, the Rangers landed on the beaches of Pointe Du Hoc […]

Special Operations reading list: A few of my favorite hidden gems

I love reading about Special Operations history. It’s amazing what information can be found in published sources if you’re prepared to dig around. There’s a whole hidden history that can only be compiled by doing some deep research and really looking for sources. Thankfully, some former operators penned books that are well worth tracking down. Here […]

How Special Forces operators commemorate their lineage

What a better way to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day then by jumping into Normandy? Green Berets assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducted static line and free-fall parachute drops on a drop zone in Normandy, France, last week. The Air Force’s 352nd Special Operations Wing and 86th Airlift Wing provided three […]

Re-saving ‘Private Ryan:’ Legendary war movie back in theaters

This year marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. On the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces stormed five beaches in Normandy, in northern France, in what was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany’s domination of Europe. To commemorate the anniversary, 600 movie theaters around the country will […]

Bill Dawson, last original Frogman, celebrates 94th birthday

The last of the original frogmen, the forerunners of Navy SEAL teams, was honored last week on the date of his 94th birthday among his family members and friends. Bill Dawson, who grew up in Washington D.C., worked at the Washington Navy Shipyard in 1943 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was just […]

The Pic of the Day: Rose and Bergman make history at the 2019 best Ranger competition

Capts. Michael Rose (center left) and John Bergman (center right) hold pistols above them after winning the 2019 Best Ranger Competition on April 15, 2019. Bergman and Rose, of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, earned the title of “Best Rangers” during an awards ceremony at the Maneuver Center of Excellence headquarters at […]

Breaking down the British elite forces: 4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery Royal Artillery

The 4/73 (Sphinx) Special Observation Post Battery Royal Artillery frequently deploys surveillance and target acquisition patrols, which often operate far from the primary force, behind enemy lines. They deploy fire support teams to brigade reconnaissance forces or other reconnaissance elements to aid in calling in accurate artillery strikes. The unit was established in 1982 predominantly […]

Declassified supersonic spy drone flew multiple failed missions over China in the 1960s

This week, the National Reconnaissance Office declassified a trove of documents pertaining to the long defunct “Tagboard” drone program, a reconnaissance effort so ahead of its time that it seemed like science fiction until only recently. In the 1960s, the United States found itself in a unique position: Nuclear programs in both China and the […]

Former Blink 182 frontman to highlight Pentagon’s UFO program in new History Channel series

In December of 2017, the New York Times revealed that the United States Defense Department had been secretly funding investigations into reports made by military personnel of unidentified flying objects, or unidentified aerial phenomena as they’re sometimes called. Although funding had been cut in 2012, the investigations continued under the supervision of Luis Elizondo, who […]